Is there a homestead exemption in Florida?
Yes: the Homestead Exemption. Up to $51,411 off your assessed value for 2026. The first $25,000 comes off all taxes, including school taxes. A second exemption of up to $26,411 (indexed to inflation each year) comes off the assessed value between $50,000 and $76,411, for non-school taxes only. Who qualifies: You own the home (legal or beneficial title) on January 1 and it is your permanent residence, or the permanent residence of someone legally or naturally dependent on you, on January 1. Miami-Dade notes you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and a Florida resident on January 1. You lose it if you rent the home out or it stops being your permanent home.
When is the deadline to apply for the homestead exemption in Florida?
March 1 of the tax year (s. 196.011(1)(a), F.S.). If you miss it, you may still file a late application within 25 days after the property appraiser mails the TRIM notice (usually August) and show extenuating circumstances (s. 196.011(9), F.S.).
Do I have to reapply for the homestead exemption every year in Florida?
File once. The exemption renews automatically in counties that waive the annual application (s. 196.011(10), F.S.); you must tell the property appraiser if you move, rent the home or sell it.
Are there property tax breaks for seniors in Florida?
Additional Homestead Exemption for Persons 65 and Older (low-income senior): Up to $50,000 more off the assessed value, but only for the county or city taxes of a county or city that has adopted it by ordinance. A second local option fully exempts the home if its just value was under $250,000 when you first qualified and you have lived there at least 25 years. These do not reduce school taxes. Example: Miami-Dade County gives the $50,000 senior exemption on county taxes and has also adopted the long-term-resident exemption for county taxes. Most Miami-Dade cities also give $50,000 off city taxes, but Aventura and Golden Beach give $25,000 and Florida City, Indian Creek and Miami Shores give none (Miami-Dade Property Appraiser, Senior Exemptions Benefit Table 2026).
Do disabled veterans get a property tax exemption in Florida?
Total and Permanent Disability Exemption for Veterans (and wheelchair-bound disabled veterans): Your homestead is fully exempt from property tax (100% of the value). Disabled Ex-Servicemember $5,000 Exemption and Combat-Disabled Veteran Discount (65+): $5,000 off the assessed value if you are a veteran with a disability of 10% or more. Separately, if you are 65 or older with a combat-related permanent disability, your homestead tax is discounted by your VA disability percentage (for example, 40% disabled = 40% discount).
Can I move my exemption to a new home in Florida?
Yes. Under Save Our Homes portability you can move up to $500,000 of your built-up assessment difference to a new Florida homestead if you establish the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you left the old one. File Form DR-501T with your homestead application by March 1 (s. 193.155(8), F.S.).
Is there a limit on how fast my home's taxable value can rise in Florida?
Yes. After the first year, a homestead's assessed value can rise no more than 3% or the change in CPI, whichever is less; the cap is 2.7% for 2026 (Save Our Homes, Art. VII, s. 4(d), Fla. Const.; s. 193.155, F.S.). The cap resets when the home is sold.
Where do I apply for property tax exemptions in Florida?
Your county property appraiser decides all exemptions. You apply with the property appraiser in the county where the home is, often online; the Florida Department of Revenue writes the forms and rules.